From: $19.99 (£9.99 or €14.75)*

From the publisher

"A science fiction novel of epic proportions. Dune meets Star Wars in this story of good versus evil. It follows the adventures of Alfias, a young mining colonist on a dangerous quest to uncover the secret of Kolumbas Major, a purple planet protected by a timeless secret society known only as the Elders. He pits his wits and bravery against the dangerous earth colony government, the ETCA and their merciless secret agents. The story forges on at breakneck pace with a multitude of colourful characters and well crafted subplots. The dialogue is engaging and adds suspense and excitement to the story. A must read!"

From the author

"I have always loved sci-fi and have personally read hundreds of great sci-fi classics. In The Kolumbas Affair, I have attempted to include my combined knowledge and experience from reading the genre into this, my first novel. The story combines many subplots and has many layers of complexity. The main storyline however, follows Alfias our hero, as he battles assassins, commandos, and killer telepaths to name but a few of his enemies. He is assisted by the mysterious Jonathon in the even more mysterious ship, the Triton.

Behind the scenes we see another storyline playing out. The galaxy is teetering on the brink of war with almost everyone plotting to overthrow the heavy handed ETCA. Will the rebels succeed? Will war ensue, or will the ETCA, with their usual extreme measures, squash the rebellion?

Another even more sinister, subtle storyline runs through the main plot, but I will leave you to figure that one out. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this novel and I hope you enjoy the fruits of my labour. Please feel free to drop me an email and let me know what you like about this novel."

Book details

         Paperback: 420 pages

         Publisher: Blankson Enterprises Ltd

         Language: English

E-book Edition

ISBN10: 1-905789-14-9

ISBN 13: 978-1-905789-14-6

Paperback Edition

ISBN 10: 1-905789-99-8

ISBN 13: 978-1-905789-99-3

 

Hardback Edition

ISBN 10: 1-905789-91-2

ISBN 13: 978-1-905789-91-7

         Product Dimensions: 9" x 6"

         Price

e-Book: $9.99 (£5.00 or €7.50)*

Printed Hardback: $29.75 (£14.99 or €22.50)*

Printed Paperback: $19.99 (£9.99 or €14.75)*

* This is a guide price only. Prices may vary due to fluctuations in currencies and the pricing policies of our resellers.

Contents Pages

Although my life has never personally confronted the futuristic times that Samuel Blankson writes about in The Kolumbas Affair, there are occasions within my privileged reading where I could almost imagine being there.  Blankson painted a picture that I could visualize in my mind’s eye - a quality every writer hopes to convey within the reader of his work.

The Kolumbas Affair tells a story of war and its effects on those not only directly involved, but also on those who do not seem to even realize there is a war taking place.  This is not a short-lived war like, say, the one year long Spanish American War in 1898.  This war takes place over many hundreds of years.  The tale encompassed a great depiction of the negative effects of hostilities – death, deceit, and what happens when power is placed into the wrong hands.  Although the book seemed to start a bit slow, and the settings were somewhat difficult to comprehend at first, do not let this fool you.  As you quickly begin to unravel all of the interconnectedness within the story line, it will evoke the desire to continue turning each page in order to learn more. 

You will find throughout your continued perseverance that, although war is much of what the story is about, it is not the only plot Blankson has placed within the book.  Yes, this is of the Science Fiction genre, yet the author intersperses action, as well as some romance all the way through, leaving the reader wondering what will happen next. 

You will behold in The Kolumbas Affair’s inclusion of many new scientific principles throughout the book.  Some of these included psionics, nanotechnology, faster than light time travel and robots.  Blankson’s ability to incorporate these many diverse aspects of science fiction allowed the book to have a sundry collection of what the genre is intended to be composed of.  There was an interesting combination within the book of future (presented as the current time in the story) and times of yore (brought into the present as, for example, Old Earth).

One of the details that I enjoyed most about this book was the references to technology that we currently have at our disposal in our present life.  For example, one line articulates, “He couldn’t wait to Holomail his brothers about what he had done today, they would be so jealous.”  This seemed to be an underlying connection to the email technology we partake in nowadays.  This was not the only such reference, as these are spread throughout the book in a way that makes the reader smile when making the associations.

The theme of an innocent boy turned warrior, as was the case for Alfias’s character, is one that is amazing to indulge in through the words that come alive upon the pages.  You will be in awe at his transformation as the time line of this chronicle progresses.   When he utters, “I now know why you call me Master, Jonathan.  I have become what I was meant to be; my transformation is complete,” you will instantly sense the mood as his character’s metamorphosis comes into being.   You will believe in his virtuousness in the beginning, as well as his strength and ability by the end. 

If I had to pinpoint a main character in The Kolumbas Affair, it would have to be Alfias Esposito, as described in the paragraph above; however, the author gives each character in the story a fair amount of exposure, allowing the reader the opportunity to get a sense of the attributes of each important one.  That being said, each supporting character’s role leads back to Alfias in some way.

Chenade is Alfias’s love throughout the book, and a twist on her role does not become apparent until further on in the story.  When it does, however, it will cause your eyes to widen and your mouth to drop as you imagine the possible repercussions of their adoration.

Jonathan, Tirimakashi, and Ivan are Alfias’s main “helpers,” aiding him in what you will see as the end goal of the warrior.  You will see why it was necessary for Alfias to have each one on his side in order to be successful at his accomplishments.

The group of “bad guys” provides peril to the story, stirring up the “good versus evil” that a book such as this needs.  However, the main menacing character provides a great twist to the end, in which you will have to continue reading the entire tale in order to find out.

Blankson does an excellent job of pulling together all story lines by the completion of this volume.  I look forward to the future addition to this book that the author eludes to in his final words “To be continued…” 

By Angela Baker - Immaculate Conception

A Fast-Paced Adventure Fit For Everyone

by Leslie Dvorak – NCS Pearson

“The Kolumbas Affair” takes science fiction readers on a fast-paced adventure through a new and vivid world.  The book’s elaborate and detailed new world is presented to the reader in a straightforward manner, so that readers can truly be immersed into this new world without struggling to wrap their minds around any complicated ideas.

The book’s point of view is constantly changing.  The book opens by painting a scene from the point of view of a Russian scientist who is whisked from his home world and his true love into a new and mysterious world.  Readers get a glimpse just long enough to become interested, and then the novel is instantly focused on Alfias, the book’s protagonist. 

The point of view changes throughout the entire book, allowing the reader to experience the point of view of multiple characters.  The author keeps mystery alive by providing brief glimpses and clue’s to each character’s past, but does not spend extensive time developing each character.  This allows the book to keep moving at a fast pace while developing the character’s throughout the story. 

Readers are also offered bits and pieces of each character’s past throughout the novel’s scenes and dialogue, keeping the book fast-paced.  The character development takes place throughout the entire novel, and by the end, readers are left with characters which are genuine and complete.  The reader’s first glimpse of the main protagonist, Alfias, is brief, but by the end of the novel, the reader can feel that he knows Alfias. 

The author portrays the book’s antagonists as believable people.  Through their actions and dialogue the reader can see the antagonists and their motives.  The book’s antagonists parallel many figures which are present in modern day society.  The villains are constantly changing in this book, and the reader is left continuously questioning who is good and who is bad. 

The book is an easy read, with its flowing style and fast-paced story line.  This book avoids many of the long, drawn out descriptions that so many novels contain.  The reader stays engaged throughout the entire novel, and it is easy enjoyment to get caught up in the story. 

Samuel Blankson has used “The Kolumbas Affair” to let readers in on the rich and elaborate world he has envisioned.  It is refreshing to read about another world which avoids all the common clichés of outer space and space travel.  There are no little green men and black holes in this novel, just Blankson’s original and artful creations.

”The Kolumbas Affair” also combines a full range of genres into one book.  Although you may pick this novel up in the science fiction section of the bookstore, it is not so much a science fiction novel as a romance, drama, comedy, adventure, and science fiction novel all rolled into one.

“The Kolumbas Affair” will keep the reader guessing until its final page.  Although it is straightforward, it is anything but predictable. 

Leslie Dvorak – NCS Pearson

Review of The Kolumbas Affair

by C.F. Lapinel - THE DIAMOND SPADE

The title of Samuel Blankson’s science fiction novel, The Kolumbas Affair, evokes the name of that famous Italian explorer and instantly sets the tone. This is a novel about the perils and wonders of exploration and discovery, whether that is out in the far reaches of space or in that far more mysterious space known as the self. What does it mean to explore the unknown? What is more, is it possible to do this without doing violence to others and ourselves? After a tantalising prologue, the novel truly starts with Alfias, who discovers upon his twenty-first birthday that not only is he a telepath and destined to fulfil his dream of exploring the nearby planet of Kolumbas Major, but that it may well be his destiny to save humanity. At first Blankson’s prose has an emotional earnestness to it that threatens to bog down the adventure novel. This has much to do with the narrator’s efforts to give the reader an accurate impression of the young hero, to prepare us for the changes he is about to embark on. Within a couple dozen pages, however, the plot has been set in motion and the pace quickens; the earnestness of the prose quickly gives way to an uncomplicated austerity. What we discover, in the course of Blankson’s novel, is a space odyssey of epic proportions and well worth the read. It seems to reflect much of the political and cultural unease bubbling to a boil in our own time. Another refreshing aspect of Blankson’s novel is how well he captures and renders the ideas, technology and culture of this possible future. For as wild and strange as this future seems, it also has the distinct ring of plausibility. If, as Rod Serling stated, science fiction is the improbable made possible, then Blankson has fulfilled that criteria in spades.

C.F. Lapinel - THE DIAMOND SPADE

From a review

by Cameron  Cowan - Associated-Content.com

“This book is an amazing adventure in a new and dynamic universe that really is unlike anything else currently on the bookshelves of America. For once this book did not remind me of any other books I have read and really presented a new concept for a change, certainly refreshing to say the least. If you are looking for a new, refreshing and exciting adventure then the Kolumbas Affair is the book for you.”

The Kolumbas affair is sci-fi with a difference.  The futuristic world that it is set in is frighteningly realistic, leaving the reader with a very vivid picture of the world to come.  Our hero – Alfias – gives us a sense of pleasure as we watch him grow over time from a rather naïve young man into a hero-warrior.  The Kolumbas Affair holds a whole host of characters, and you will need to keep on your toes to decipher the goodies from the baddies, as people (or other types of creature) are not always what they seem…

The book is not simply science-fiction; it gives us war, comedy and romance – several genres that quite simply are a perfect fit.

Jeanette Hewitt, Freelancer

The Kolumbas Affair guides readers through a universe of metaphors that could easily depict the moments of our own lives with added edge and adventure. Finding a conscientious protagonist that you are dying to forgive despite his faulty decisions as we have in Blankson’s Alfias is memorable and intriguing. Going against the traditional idea of hero, Alfias is created as a man who has created his own turmoil, but he is no more ready to accept it than he would be if it were anonymously cast upon him.

The plot, full of twists and calming moments of reflection, has readers second guessing themselves and the motivation of Blankson’s multi-faceted characters. What is it about Alfias that we see in ourselves? Could it be his overwhelming sense of personal responsibility? Possibly it is his sense of justice and willingness to protect. Whatever it is, we find a humanity in the future this writer portrays that we may not find today. Through a combination of intrigue, contemplation, and conspiracy, we are introduced to characters that wrap us in their world and work to tangle us in the Web of truths. Science fiction has long moved towards creating additional realms and realities, but Blankson combines these with what we know today, and the essence of his characters is that of his readers, curiosity and fascination.

Carrie L. Wells - Kaplan University and Saint Leo University

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